Dogs’ role in Clare sheep kill unproven, but licence charge sticks

A COUNTY Clare farmer has told of his distress after losing 14 of his animals in a ‘sheep kill’ last year, writes Gordon Deegan.

At Killaloe District Court, farmer, Martin Cooke said of the shocking find “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone”.

After arriving on February 16 2020 on his lands adjacent to a canal bank at Clonlara, he couldn’t see any of his sheep but did see two dogs nearby.

Mr Cooke said that there were around 50 sheep in the flock and after searching, six or seven dead sheep had to be fished out of the canal.

He had earlier spotted two dead sheep floating down the river adjacent to his land-holding.

Mr Cooke told the court that 13 sheep were found dead from the sheep kill and another had to be put down afterwards to bring the death toll to 14.

The sheep kill, he estimated, had cost him around €2,000.

In the case, Judge Mary Larkin found bachelor farmer, Raymond Crowe (72) of Prospect House, Clonlara, guilty of not having a dog licence on February 16 2020.

Judge Larkin, however, dismissed the charge against Mr Crowe of being in charge of a dog that worried livestock on the same date.

That charge was dismissed after solicitor for Mr Crowe, Stiofan Fitzpatrick, argued that the State case against his client didn’t reach the threshold of “beyond reasonable doubt”.

Mr Fitzpatrick stated that his client didn’t accept that his dogs were involved in the sheep kill.

Mr Crowe surrendered three of his dogs to the Clare County Dog Warden, Frankie Coote the day after the sheep kill and Mr Fitzpatrick said that he did this as he recognised he couldn’t manage five dogs.

The three dogs were put down. Mr Fitzpatrick said that Mr Crowe has since got dog licences for his two remaining dogs.

Judge Larkin suggested that maybe Mr Crowe shouldn’t have any dogs at all if he can’t manage the dogs that are in his ownership.

In evidence, Mr Coote described three of Mr Crowe’s dogs that were taken away as ‘feral’.

Mr Fitzpatrick said that one was a stray that Mr Crowe had taken in.

Judge Larkin ordered that a Probation Report be carried out on Mr Crowe and adjourned the case to later in the year.

In evidence, Mr Cooke said that he believed that he saw the two dogs that attacked his sheep and gave chase, including two black sheep dogs.

“I followed the dogs on foot as best as I could but I lost track of them,” said Mr Cooke, who added that he then returned to the scene of the sheep kill. He said: “It is a big loss of sheep and no-one has apologised.”

Mr Cooke phoned Gardai with a description of the two dogs and Garda Cathal O’Gorman said that he found two dogs that matched the description of the dogs at the home of Mr Crowe.

He said that each dog had a distinctive feature from the description provided.

Garda O’Gorman took photos of the two dogs and that he showed them to Mr Cooke who agreed they were the dogs that attacked his sheep.

Garda O’Gorman said that Mr Crowe declined to make a formal statement to Gardai.

Under cross examination from Mr Fitzpatrick, Garda O’Gorman said that the two dogs had no trace of blood or wool.